The report shows that the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities rose from 38.0 percent in June to 38.3 percent in July. This measure represents the proportion of the entire working-age population that is employed, including both people who are in the labor force and those who are not seeking work. The increase amounted to 0.3 percentage points, or approximately 0.8 percent relative to the June figure. Among people without disabilities, the ratio also edged upward, moving from 74.8 percent to 75.0 percent.

The more significant shift appeared in labor force participation. For people with disabilities, the rate climbed from 41.8 percent in June to 42.4 percent in July, an increase of 0.6 percentage points. The labor force participation rate includes people who are employed, actively seeking work, or temporarily absent from a job because of a layoff or furlough. By contrast, participation among people without disabilities held steady at 78.2 percent in both months. The contrasting results suggest that more people with disabilities were available for work or actively searching for jobs, even though the increase in employment itself was comparatively modest.

John O’Neill, director of Kessler Foundation’s Center for Employment and Disability Research, said the improved employment-to-population ratios may partly reflect seasonal hiring. Summer typically brings increased demand for workers in hospitality, tourism, food service, recreation, and related industries. These sectors can generate short-term employment opportunities, although the extent to which such jobs provide stable hours, benefits, or long-term advancement varies widely. Seasonal patterns are therefore an important factor when interpreting a single month of employment data.

Andrew Houtenville, professor of economics and director of the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, pointed to economic pressure as another possible explanation for the increased participation of people with disabilities. Rising prices can encourage people to seek employment or increase their working hours, particularly when household income is already constrained. People with disabilities experience poverty at higher rates than people without disabilities, making changes in food, housing, transportation, health care, and energy costs especially consequential. When participation rises more rapidly than the employment-to-population ratio, economists infer that additional people are entering the labor market without all of them immediately finding jobs.

The year-to-year comparison presents a stronger improvement for people with disabilities. From July 2025 to July 2026, their employment-to-population ratio increased from 37.0 percent to 38.3 percent, a gain of 1.3 percentage points, or 3.5 percent. Over the same period, the ratio for people without disabilities declined slightly from 75.1 percent to 75.0 percent. Although the change for people without disabilities was small, the widening difference highlights the persistent employment gap between the two groups: people with disabilities remained far less likely to be employed relative to their total working-age population.

Annual labor force participation figures showed a similar divergence. For people with disabilities, participation rose from 41.6 percent in July 2025 to 42.4 percent in July 2026, an increase of 0.8 percentage points, or 1.9 percent. Among people without disabilities, participation fell from 78.5 percent to 78.2 percent, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points. These statistics do not measure unemployment directly, but they help distinguish between people who are outside the labor force and those who are working or making an active effort to find employment.

In July, approximately 6.69 million employed people with disabilities accounted for 4.4 percent of the nation’s 151.261 million workers ages 16 to 64. The figure underscores both the scale of disability employment and the continuing underrepresentation of people with disabilities in the workforce. Employment outcomes are shaped by accessibility, transportation, workplace flexibility, health conditions, discrimination, education, job training, and the availability of assistive technologies. A change in monthly statistics can therefore reflect not only economic demand, but also whether employers and communities are reducing barriers that prevent qualified people from obtaining and keeping jobs.

The July nTIDE findings were discussed during a live Lunch and Learn webinar hosted by the report’s research team. Guest presenters Jeff Friedman and Javier Robles of Rutgers University joined O’Neill, Houtenville, and Lillie Heigl, director of policy at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. The monthly nTIDE project adapts national labor statistics to focus specifically on working-age adults with and without disabilities, providing a recurring measure of how economic conditions affect disability employment. The initiative is supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research and Kessler Foundation, and its latest figures indicate that labor market engagement among people with disabilities is rising, even as substantial disparities remain.

Subject of Research: Employment and labor force participation trends among working-age people with and without disabilities in the United States.

Article Title: Labor Force Participation Rises for People with Disabilities as Summer Employment Lifts July Figures

News Publication Date: August 7, 2026

Web References: Kessler Foundation: https://kesslerfoundation.org/ ; University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability: https://www.researchondisability.org/ ; nTIDE archives: http://www.researchondisability.org/nTIDE ; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics July 2026 Jobs Report: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

References: July 2026 National Trends in Disability Employment report issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.

Image Credits: Kessler Foundation

Keywords: disability employment, labor force participation, employment-to-population ratio, nTIDE, Kessler Foundation, University of New Hampshire, Bureau of Labor Statistics, workforce trends, accessible employment, labor market data

The month-to-month analysis comparing May and June 2025 highlights that the employment-to-population ratio—a core metric reflecting the proportion of individuals working relative to the total population—remained static at 38.0 percent for people with disabilities aged 16 to 64. Contrastingly, individuals without disabilities witnessed a modest increase, moving from 74.8 percent to 75.1 percent. This differential stability points to persistent challenges faced by disabled workers in gaining employment despite incremental economic shifts.

The labor force participation rate, which captures those employed or actively seeking employment, rose marginally among people with disabilities from 41.4 percent in May to 41.9 percent in June 2025, indicating a subtle increase in workforce engagement. Similarly, the non-disabled population saw a rise from 77.8 percent to 78.4 percent. This divergence between participation and employment rates among people with disabilities suggests that more individuals are entering or re-entering the labor market, though this has yet to translate into significant employment gains.

Experts interpret these patterns as symptomatic of broader economic and policy uncertainties. John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation, notes that employer hesitation to adjust hiring practices remains prevalent, largely awaiting clarity on federal budget allocations and their downstream impacts on state and local economies. This cautious stance is consistent with observed labor trends during periods of fiscal unpredictability.

Adding further context, Andrew Houtenville, PhD, professor of economics at the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability, explains that employment rates rarely shift rapidly amid economic slowdowns due to employers’ reluctance to lose workers who are hard to replace. However, the uptick in labor force participation could signal that families and individuals with disabilities are increasingly compelled to seek work proactively as a hedge against economic volatility, even if job availability remains constrained.

A year-over-year comparison between June 2024 and June 2025 reflects a slight improvement in employment outcomes for people with disabilities, with the employment-to-population ratio rising from 37.6 to 38.0 percent. During the same period, the ratio remained stable at 75.1 percent for those without disabilities. Such incremental progress, while modest, may indicate a gradual shift in labor market inclusion.

Similarly, labor force participation for people with disabilities held steady at an increased rate of 41.9 percent in June 2025 compared to 41.4 percent a year earlier. For non-disabled individuals, participation rates remained constant at 78.4 percent, reinforcing the disparity in engagement trajectories between these groups.

The workforce composition in June 2025 included 6,654,000 workers with disabilities aged 16 to 64, representing 4.4 percent of the total U.S. workforce of 152,690,000. This figure provides an essential benchmark for assessing both representation and the potential untapped labor pool within this demographic segment.

The technical nuance embedded in nTIDE’s methodology is noteworthy. While grounded in U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, nTIDE refines its analyses by customizing population parameters to the working-age group of 16 to 64 years, enhancing specificity to the prime labor market cohort. Moreover, nTIDE integrates indicators such as the employment-to-population ratio and labor force participation rate to distinguish between actual employment levels and the extent of active job-seeking behavior in the disabled and non-disabled populations.

nTIDE’s ongoing monitoring and bi-monthly reporting offer a vital real-time perspective on how macroeconomic factors and policy shifts influence the labor market experiences of people with disabilities. These insights serve not only academic and policy-making audiences but also inform advocacy and employer engagement strategies aimed at improving employment outcomes.

Complementing the data reports, nTIDE conducts Lunch & Learn webinars to disseminate findings, foster dialogue, and field public queries about disability employment trends. The July 3, 2025 session features expert panelists including Josie Badger of the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network alongside researchers from Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire, further emphasizing the commitment to knowledge exchange and community involvement.

The collaboration between Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability epitomizes the integration of rigorous research with practical advocacy. Kessler Foundation’s comprehensive focus on rehabilitation research transcends mere data analysis by developing and testing interventions that target improving quality of life and workforce participation for individuals facing neurological, developmental, and physical disabilities.

As economic conditions remain fluid, these findings invite a deeper exploration of structural barriers, employer incentives, and policy frameworks that influence hiring and retention of workers with disabilities. The steady employment rates combined with rising labor force participation highlight both persistent challenges and signs of resilience within this vital segment of the American workforce.

This expanded understanding permits stakeholders across government, private sector, and community organizations to tailor strategies that can better support employment inclusion, addressing not only statistical measures but also the nuanced lived experiences underlying workforce participation data for people with disabilities.

Subject of Research: Employment trends and labor market participation among people with disabilities compared to those without disabilities in the United States.

Article Title: National Trends in Disability Employment: Stability Amidst Shifting Labor Force Participation

News Publication Date: July 3, 2025

Web References:

• https://kesslerfoundation.org/
• http://www.researchondisability.org/
• http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
• http://www.ResearchonDisability.org/nTIDE

Image Credits: Kessler Foundation

Keywords: Economics, Economics research, Socioeconomics, Population studies